31st International Conference

The Center and Foundation for Critical Thinking have together hosted critical thinking academies and conferences for more than three decades. During that time, we have played a key role in defining, structuring, assessing, improving and advancing the principles and best practices of fair-minded critical thought in education and in society. We invite you to join us for the 31st International Conference on Critical Thinking. Our annual conference provides a unique opportunity for you to improve your understanding of critical thinking, as well as your ability to more substantively foster it in the classroom and in all aspects of your work and life.

CONFERENCE OVERVIEW

Choose from the following sessions when registering. Choose one for each day section. See preconference and conference schedule and sessions for full titles and descriptions.

PRECONFERENCE

Developing a Substantive Approach to Socratic Questioning Through Critical Thinking

25 Weeks to Better Thinking and Better Living: Using the Tools of Critical Thinking to Take Charge of Your Life

Three Historical Approaches to Critical Thinking and Their Significance for the Design and Assessment of Post-Secondary Curriculum

CANCELED How to Work Together with Colleagues to deepen Your Understanding of Critical Thinking Through Extended Book Studies

DAY ONE

Teaching Students to Think Within a Field or Discipline

What are Intellectual Traits and How Does One Teach for Them?

Understanding the Relationship Between Critical Thinking and Emancipating the Mind

Fostering Critical Thinking in the Secondary Classroom

Advanced Session: ‘On the potential of the critical vocabulary of the English language as an academic lingua franca’ (for returning registrants)

DAY TWO Morning

The Role of Administration in Creating Critical Thinking Communities

Using Peer Review on a Typical Day to Foster Substantive Critical Thinking

Teaching Students to Distinguish Strong and Weak Sense Critical Thinking

Fostering Critical Thinking in the Social Disciplines

DAY TWO Afternoon

Using the Tools of Critical Thinking to Teach Students How to Study and Learn

Why Transfer of Learning is a Common Consequent of Teaching for Critical Thinking

Teaching for Intellectual Autonomy and Intellectual Courage

Sociocentric Thinking as a Barrier to Cultivating the Intellect

DAY THREE

Concurrent sessions - choose at the conference

DAY FOUR Morning

Teaching Students Fundamental and Powerful Concepts

Why I am Ashamed to Belong to the Human Species

What I Think of When I Design Instruction

The Art of Close Reading and Substantive Writing

The conference begins with 4 options for preconference sessions. These are for both new and returning registrants. The rest of the conference will consist in approximately 40 sessions offered over four days. Participants will choose in advance the sessions offered during the preconference and on days one, two, and four of the main conference. On the third day of the conference participants will choose from approximately 30 sessions.

All conference sessions are designed to converge on basic critical thinking principles and to enrich a core concept of critical thinking with practical teaching and learning strategies. For a fuller explanation of core critical thinking concepts review the Thinker's Guide Series or articles from our library.

Throughout our work we emphasize and argue for the importance of teaching for critical thinking in a strong, rather than a weak, sense. We are committed to a clear and "substantive" concept of critical thinking (rather than one that is ill-defined); a concept that interfaces well with the disciplines, that integrates critical with creative thinking, that applies directly to the needs of everyday and professional life, that emphasizes the affective as well as the cognitive dimension of critical thinking, that highlights intellectual standards and traits. We advocate a concept of critical thinking that organizes instruction in every subject area at every educational level.

Conference Plan and Sessions:

PRE-CONFERENCE: Saturday and Sunday(you choose one of the following in-depth two-day sessions)…